Cynthia Leppert, a principal in the Firm, has been appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to a four year term on the Appellate Courts Judicial Nominating Commission.  The Commission nominates candidates for judges of the Court of Appeals of Maryland and the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland.

Deborah H. Devan, Robert M. Ercole, Allan J. Gibber, Price O. Gielen, Cynthia L. Leppert, Richard Rubin and Thomas M. Wood, IV have been named 2010 Super Lawyers in Maryland by Law & Politics. Deborah H. Devan was also included in the Top 25 Women Super Lawyers and Deborah H. Devan was included in the Top 50 Super Lawyers. The selection is the result of a rigorous process which evaluates quality in legal work in objective terms based upon peer evaluations, internal research and balloting. Final selection is made of those lawyers having the highest point totals at the completion of the evaluation process. Only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state were selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers which will be published in the January 2010 editions of Baltimore Magazine and Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine.

Deborah H. Devan, Robert M. Ercole, Allan J. Gibber, Price O. Gielen, Cynthia L. Leppert, Richard Rubin and Thomas M. Wood, IV have been named 2009 Super Lawyers in Maryland by Law & Politics. Deborah H. Devan and Cynthia L. Leppert were also included in the Top 25 Women Super Lawyers and Deborah H. Devan was included in the Top 50 Super Lawyers. The selection is the result of a rigorous process which evaluates quality in legal work in objective terms based upon peer evaluations, internal research and balloting. Final selection is made of those lawyers having the highest point totals at the completion of the evaluation process. Only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state were selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers which will be published in the January 2009 editions of Baltimore Magazine and Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine.

Debbie was one of the speakers at the recent annual meeting of the Bankruptcy Bar Association of Maryland in Annapolis.  She joined with two other distinguished professionals, including the president of the Bar Association, and two bankruptcy judges in presenting a program and written materials on thirty-five recent case decisions of import to bankruptcy practitioners.  Debbie has spoken and written extensively on many issues of interest to bankruptcy practitioners.  More information on the annual meeting can be found at www.bankruptcybar.org

Cynthia Leppert has been named Baltimore County Woman of the Year by the Baltimore County Commission for Women.  In making its announcement, the Commission stated that Cynthia's "achievements and qualifying criteria for the award include her leadership as President of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland and experience as an attorney to help advance the interests of women throughout her community and the state."   She will be honored at an awards presentation to be held on March 27, 2008, in recognition of Women's History Month.

Deborah H. Devan, Robert M. Ercole, Allan J. Gibber, Price O. Gielen, Cynthia L. Leppert, Michael L. Quinn and Richard Rubin have been named 2008 Super Lawyers in Maryland by Law & Politics. Deborah Devan and Allan Gibber were also included in the Top 50 Super Lawyers and Deborah Devan was included in the Top 25 Women Super Lawyers. The selection is the result of a rigorous process which evaluates quality in legal work in objective terms based upon peer evaluations, internal research and balloting. Final selection is made of those lawyers having the highest point totals at the completion of the evaluation process. Only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state were selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers which will be published in the January 2008 editions of Baltimore Magazine and Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine. SuperLawyers.pdf

Robert M. Ercole's article, regarding the recent changes in the transfer tax rules, titled "On Real Property: Changing the Rules on Transfer Taxes - New recordation and transfer tax on 'controlling interests' will have significant impact on real estate owners" appeared in the December 3, 2007 issue of The Daily Record.  Read the article here

MICPEL and the Estate and Trust Law Section of the MSBA have joined forces to present “Recent Developments in Estate Administration with Allan J. Gibber”. Attorney and author Mr. Gibber will discuss the most recent developments and cases in the areas of probate and estate administration.  This program is geared for the novice as well as the experienced practitioner. The program will be presented Friday, February 22^nd at the University of Baltimore School of Law, Moot Court room, Thursday, February 28^th at the Ramada Inn & Conference Center in Salisbury and Thursday, March 6^th at the Four Points by Sheraton in Hagerstown. Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of “Gibber on Estate Administration, 5th Edition 2008”. For more information visit www.micpel.edu

Deborah Devan, head of the Firm’s bankruptcy work, has been named for a second time by the Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women for 2007. The award recognizes Debbie as a successful female professional who also gives back to her profession and community by mentoring others and by personal community involvement. Debbie’s fellow Top 100 Women for 2007 include, among others, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Judges Carol E. Smith and Judith C. Ensor (Circuit Court  Baltimore County), Judges Ann S. Harrington and Marielsa A. Bernard (Circuit Court Montgomery County), and three members of the Maryland General Assembly.

In the February 2007 edition of Baltimore SmartCEO Magazine, NQGRG was selected by a recent reader survey, as one of the Thirteen (13) Leading Law Firms. The article states, “Reputation is something reader Steve Meizlish keeps in mind when selecting a firm, as is aggressiveness and size. The firm should be ‘big enough to have the diversity to handle most needs, yet small enough to have the mobility to truly work as a team,’ says Meizlish, of MeizCorp Services. ‘A great lawyer has to be a great deal maker and know when to negotiate and when to protect his client using all the provisions established in the law’.” Click here to read the article.

Deborah H. Devan, Robert M. Ercole, Allan J. Gibber, Price O. Gielen, Cynthia L. Leppert and Michael L. Quinn have been named 2007 Super Lawyers in Maryland by Law & Politics. Deborah Devan and Allan Gibber were also included in the Top 50 Super Lawyers and Deborah Devan was included in the Top 25 Women Super Lawyers. The selection is the result of a rigorous process which evaluates quality in legal work in objective terms based upon peer evaluations, internal research and balloting. Final selection is made of those lawyers having the highest point totals at the completion of the evaluation process. Only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state were selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers which was published in the January 2007 editions of Baltimore Magazine and Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine.  Click here for a copy of the article.

Debbie Devan, acting as a court-appointed trustee, won a major decision in the United States District Court in Baltimore in a predatory lending case that Devan filed against a local lender. The decision has generated a lot of buzz among Maryland’s bankruptcy lawyers, says The Daily Record in an October 26 article. One prominent lawyer stated, “[This] is monumental because it shows that we’re not going to tolerate taking advantage of individual homeowners in very stressful, desperate times.” In the decision, Devan avoided the predatory lending transaction; recovered amounts paid to the lender, and denied any repayment to the lender for amounts it paid to save the property from foreclosure.

Rich Rubin received the 2006 Consultant of the Year award from  the Home Builders Association of Maryland,  Land Development Council Excellence  in Community Development Awards Program. The LDC awards program serves three purposes: (1) To promote positive public interest in (perception of) the land development industry, (2) To recognize excellence in land development for design and quality; and, (3) To recognize outstanding contributions by companies and individuals to the land development industry.

Debbie was recently a featured speaker at the NABT annual convention in Seattle. In a presentation named for her record-breaking case, “Can You Go for a Ride on the Merry-Go-Round?”, addressing her audience of almost 600, Debbie provided the background and legal precedents for her record breaking award of $7.7 million as the Trustee in the wind up of Merry-Go-Round Enterprises, Inc., the former national chain of teen apparel stores. In that case she collected $294,000,000.00 that was paid out to employees, vendors, landlords and other creditors. The bulk of the recovery came from an accounting malpractice law suit which Debbie settled for $185 million. The $7.7 million award from the Maryland Bankruptcy Court for Debbie’s work was one of the largest such awards by a bankruptcy court. The Court, in making this award to Debbie, stated, “That was a magnificent effort showing that [Devan] was both tenacious and perceptive, and had an outstanding legal mind, and outstanding ability and persistence to develop the necessary facts…The Court is grateful to [Devan] for the way she took over this case and ran it. And ran it with a strong hand and an organized hand…”

Joanna L. Trela was recognized by The Daily Record in its new program saluting “Unsung Legal Heroes.” She has been the Director of Administration at the Firm since 2003 and was named one of five top Legal Administrators in Maryland at the awards luncheon held on June 7, 2006.

Stacy L. Manley joined the firm on January 17, 2006 as an associate in the firm’s real estate practice group. Prior to joining the firm, she was a Judicial Law Clerk for The Honorable Kathleen G. Cox at the Circuit Court for Baltimore County.

Prior to joining the firm, he worked as an associate at the law offices of Richard T. Stansbury, P.A. and previously as a Financial Consultant with Smith Barney’s Private Client Group.

Brian received his Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law in May 2004, and was admitted to the state bar in December 2004. He graduated from the University of Maryland College Park in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics.

Cynthia L. Leppert was appointed to the Marketing & Communications Committee of the Maryland Chapter of Junior Achievement. Junior Achievement of Central Maryland, a not-for profit organization, with the assistance of nearly 1,000 volunteers works with more than 27,000 kids, kindergarten through grade 12. Its programs prepare youth to become valuable members of the State’s workforce by learning the role of business in society. Junior Achievement of Central Maryland currently runs programs in 10 Maryland counties and parts of West Virginia. http://maryland.ja.org/

Allan J. Gibber was a speaker at the Maryland State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting held in June in Ocean City. Mr. Gibber was a participant in a program sponsored by the Estate and Trust Law Section, “De-Coupled Couples, Disclaiming Spouses, and Other Effects of the New Maryland Estate Tax". He was part of a panel of practitioners who discussed the ramifications of the 2004 Maryland change reducing its estate tax exemption to $1,000,000.  

Cynthia L. Leppert was appointed to the Executive Council of  the Bar Association of Baltimore City and will serve as the Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee for the 2005-2006 Bar year.  In this position Ms. Leppert will plan and oversee continuing legal education seminars for the members of the Bar Association during the coming year.

Deborah H. Devan was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women for 2005 by The Daily Record. Established in 1996, this annual award program recognizes one hundred of Maryland's leading women who are making a positive impact on the state. Maryland's Top 100 Women was created to recognize the outstanding achievements of professional women who reside or work in Maryland as well as provide the business community with a resource for selecting candidates to fill a management position or corporate board seat.

Cynthia L. Leppert has been elected a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation. This election is in recognition that she has demonstrated outstanding dedication and contribution to maintaining the honor and integrity of the legal profession, the improvement and facilitation of the administration of justice, the work of the organized Bar of Maryland and civic leadership.

Cynthia L. Leppert will be a speaker at the Bankruptcy Bar Association’s Ninth Annual Meeting to be held the weekend of May 6, 2005 in Annapolis. At the program entitled, “Cross-examining the Expert Appraisal Witness”, she will be one of three panelists presenting the morning of May 7, 2005. Ms. Leppert will be discussing practice tips for pre-trial discovery and preparation to cross-examine an opposing expert witness in the area of real estate appraising.

Nichole M. Galvin was a co-author of chapter in one of MICPEL's newest publications, "Residential Real Estate Transactions", Fourth Edition. This publication has been revised from cover to cover for the first time since 1995. Published in January 2005, it reviews the law, details the procedures, and offers solutions to the problems relating to contracts of sale, title insurance, the lender's role, pre-closing, settlement, federal taxes, and local practice issues involved in the purchase and sale of homes in Maryland.